Symbolism in The Bishop's Candlesticks

          After being released from the Prision after nineteen years, Jean Valjean (convict) cannot imagine how to lead his life in any other way than through theft and concealment. When the Bishop shows kindness towards him by giving him dinner and a room for the night, Valjean is shock and overwhelmed, but is still unable to prevent himself from stealing the Bishop’s ornate silver candlesticks and running away in the middle of the night. 

        When Jean Valjean (convict)  is brought back by the police, the Bishop exclaims that the candlesticks were a gift to Valjean, and that the policemen should let him go. The candlesticks thus symbolize the mercy shown to Valjean by the Bishop, as well as humility and goodness in the Bishop’s lack of interest in beautiful possessions and wealth. The candlesticks also reappear at various moments throughout the novel, as Valjean keeps them close to him as a reminder of the man and the act that began his transformation. That he nearly throws them into the fire at one point reveals just how closely Valjean equates the candlesticks with the Bishop’s system of morality and mercy—by keeping them rather than throwing them out, Valjean recommits himself to the new path he’s chosen.

Character Sketch of Bishop in The Bishop's Candlesticks

       The Bishop is a noble and kindhearted  person who lives with his sister Persome. The Bishop is always ready to help anyone in distress. The doors of his house are always open for the poor and the needy. He has donated everything except Candlesticks gifted by his dying mother.

            The Bishop’s sister Persome feels that most people take advantage of Bishop’s simplicity and nobility. In her opinion, he is often cheated and misused of his generosity. One such occasion is Mere Gringoire; the old woman who lives on the top of the hill and does no work. He is made to pay for an old lady’s house rent by selling his salt-cellars.

      One day in the midnight the Bishop sits to read. A convict enters the Bishop’s house and asks for food at the point of his knife. He threatens to kill the Bishop if he tries to call out. The convict is rude, suspicious and full of fear. The Bishop calls Persome to open the cupboard. He treats him with kindness and provides him cold pie, wine, and bread to eat.

       The convict tells his painful story. He told Bishop that he lived in the prison for ten years. His wife, Jeanette was ill and dying of hunger. He stole a piece of bread for his wife but was arrested soon. He was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. While in the jail, he was informed that his dear wife had died. He lived in the hell for ten long years and had broken the prison and came out.

            The Bishop is moved on hearing the convict’s story and asks him to sleep in his house and assures safety and security. Saying this, the Bishop goes inside to sleep. The convict happens to see the candle sticks on the mantel piece. He was told before by the Bishop that they were given by his mother. Unable to resist the temptation, the convict steals them and runs away.

          When Persome and the Bishop get up the next morning, they find the candlestick missing. While they are discussing about the missing candlestick there is knocking at the door. A sergeant enters with three soldiers and the convict. They tell Bishop that the convict is walking on the road with the candle sticks and they have arrested him on suspicion. The cops remember the candlesticks of the Bishop and so they bring the silver candle sticks there to get identified. Though the candlesticks are very dear to the Bishop, (it is the parting gift presented to him by his mother) he saves the convict from going to hell by telling he has gifted them to the convict and calls convict his friend.

          The convict is deeply touched by the noble gesture and generosity of the Bishop. Now, he is full of repentance and asks for the Bishop’s blessings. The Bishop blesses him and also gives the candlesticks as a gift. Then he shows him a secret road to Paris. The convict’s human values and human goodness are restored due to the noble act of the Bishop. The convict becomes a man again and leads an honest living in Paris.

The Bishop's Candlesticks - Brief Review of the Play

Theme – The power of Kindness and conversion

       The Bishop’s Candlesticks is a fine example of kindness and reformation. The play dramatically depicts how the love and compassion of the Bishop brought about a change of heart in a convict and turned him into a man of promise for a good life. Though, the play being an adaptation of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables, it is much about the value of compassion and its power to transform the hardened hearts. Besides, it is a finger pointed at the life of the high-profile spiritual leaders whose prime concern is expected to be charity.

• Leading Characters

The Convict – Jean Val Jean

         The convict was a happy man before he was jailed but ten years in the prison transformed him into a wild beast. He had lost trust in humanity, faith in the Church and hope in God. He considered him a number that was assigned to him when he lived in the prison. Under the influence of the bishop, he makes a walk back to his past self.

The Bishop

        The Bishop was a kind-hearted man who followed the teachings of Jesus Christ in the true spirit. Besides being a true Christian he was also an ardent humanist. He was ready to sacrifice everything to help the needy people. Even after selling all he had for others, he felt sorry that he could do so little because he believed that the world had so much suffering. He sold his salt-cellars and gave the money to Mere Gringoire so that she could pay her rent to the landlord. The Bishop thought that if the people pretended to be in distress and if they deceived him, it was because they were poorer in spirit and not he. His door was never shut and it was open for every passerby.

Persome

         Persome is a little worldly woman, neither as selfless as her brother nor so noble. She did not like her brother live a life entirely for others ignoring himself. As a mother figure, she thought that people took unfair advantage of his charitable nature so was always on his guard. A woman in her place cannot be entirely blamed for her selfishness and possessiveness for her only brother.

Biblical References

Important Sentences

      The words that moved the convict. Briefly explain what the bishop said to the convict and the effect they had on the convict. Can you write what effects they had in him?

1. “You have got your soul to lose, my friend.”

2. “I want people like you come in that’s why I keep the door open.”

3. “No one will come; but if they do, are you not my friend?”

4. “That is a pity, my son, as the Church does not hate you.”

5. “One must do a great deal for the devil in order to do a little for God.”

6. “I am sorry for thieves.”

7. “I think you are one who has suffered much.”

Central theme of 'The Bishop's Candlesticks'

             “The Bishop's Candlesticks” by Norman McKinnel is adaptation of an extract from the play Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. It is about how a simple act of kindness reforms a convicted criminal from a beast to a man. 

        Thus the central theme of the play “The Bishop's Candlesticks” is love, kindness and redemption. It is about how a simple act of kindness reforms a convicted criminal from a beast to a man.

             In the play, a convict comes to a Bishop's house and demands for food, threatening the Bishop’s life in the process. The Bishop offers him not just food and shelter, but his sympathy too. Instead of being grateful, the convict steals the Bishop’s candlesticks, his prized possessions, and escapes. He is soon caught and arrested by a Sergeant, who presents him to the Bishop. The Bishop, however, claims to have given the candlesticks to the convict as a gift and demands him to be released. This simple act restores the convict's faith in humanity and convinces him to go back to leading an honest life.

In short we can say that - The play demonstrates how criminals are not born,but circumstances turn a person into a criminal.